The City of Lethbridge is planning consultation to create plans for implementing an organic waste collection program for multi-family residential buildings. City staff are planning to start a year-long process to identify barriers and needs of individual facilities in the fall.
“We believe spending additional time with the stakeholders will create better solutions,” said Mandi Parker, general waste and recycling manager, at a Civic Works Standing Policy Committee on May 5. “After gaining a broad sense of perspectives and concerns through the engagement, dedicated staff will work with the properties during the implementation process.”
She said the city plans to begin phase one in fall 2023, which will be for properties with 45 or fewer dwelling units. There are 124 properties identified in city for phase one, totalling 2,585 dwellings.
Phase two is planned for fall 2024 and will include buildings with more than 45 units. She said there are 124 properties, totaling 4,467 dwelling units.
“The idea of spreading multi-family over this timeframe is to really work with the stakeholders and get it set up right for their facility,” Parker said. “It’s an important program for achieving residential diversion targets and reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the landfill.”
Some members of the public expressed concerns at the meeting about how green bins will be able to be implemented on their specific properties.
Ruth White spoke on behalf of River Ridge Condos and said she would like to see consultation begin sooner. She said a big concern, which was shared by other speakers, is a lack of space to store green bins.
“We are behind finding practical, workable solutions to the waste issue, including organics,” she said. “It’s our belief that through consultation, we can determine where the city’s operational requirements and the consumer’s needs converge to insure the program is successful in reaching the goals set out in the action plan.”
The city recently began its first phase of organic collection for single-family residential properties and deployed about 1,900 bins.
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